Watching this just makes more hope that Dirt 4 will be more serious. I was one of those people the Codemasters guy mentioned who played the old Colin McRae series, and I was completely turned off by the Americanisation and 'crazy' gameplay of the recent games. Hopefully Dirt 4 will actually be about rallying for once.

Wow how condescending, what "Americanization" are you talking about exactly?? The colin mcrae games always sold well in the US. Blaming the game changes on Americans is just ignorant and pathetic, don't be so quick to shovel the blame for something you don't like. Disgraceful, yet so common among non-Americans

I think he's talking about Gymkhana and the stupid American sounding guy you hear when browsing events.

I would love to see a Dirt game that plays like Mobil 1 Rally when it comes to car damage management, length of stages. As is, Dirt is a brilliant racing game that hits that sweet spot between sim and arcade. I love it.

Watching this just makes more hope that Dirt 4 will be more serious. I was one of those people the Codemasters guy mentioned who played the old Colin McRae series, and I was completely turned off by the Americanisation and 'crazy' gameplay of the recent games. Hopefully Dirt 4 will actually be about rallying for once.

Wow how condescending, what "Americanization" are you talking about exactly?? The colin mcrae games always sold well in the US. Blaming the game changes on Americans is just ignorant and pathetic, don't be so quick to shovel the blame for something you don't like. Disgraceful, yet so common among non-Americans

Dirt went more into that "X-Games rally" sector, though. With people like Ken Block and Travis Pastrana being the title heroes who really aren't that good in real Rally competitions (Patrana always did well in Rally America, though).Same with the cars, American cars were featured dominantly while they barely play a role in world wide races. I thought it was almost insulting that several trucks were better than the VW Touareg which won everything in the past years in its category.But if you can't see that, then maybe they achieved their goal.

Not saying the games are bad, I really like them, but they focused more on the American market and that market is not fond of something like Rally Dakar or WRC.

NoS in a DiRT game, and it's not even the energy drink! Weeeeird. Anyways, this looks fun, and I just recently finished off the getting the last couple of platinums on the DC challenges in DiRT 3, so more races would be enough to justify this for me on its own.

Edit: Oh, and I hope that in the final version, cars don't just blink away after being broken in the destruction derby; part of the fun is having to maneuver around the wreckage.

Watching this just makes more hope that Dirt 4 will be more serious. I was one of those people the Codemasters guy mentioned who played the old Colin McRae series, and I was completely turned off by the Americanisation and 'crazy' gameplay of the recent games. Hopefully Dirt 4 will actually be about rallying for once.

Wow how condescending, what "Americanization" are you talking about exactly?? The colin mcrae games always sold well in the US. Blaming the game changes on Americans is just ignorant and pathetic, don't be so quick to shovel the blame for something you don't like. Disgraceful, yet so common among non-Americans

I think it's fair to say these games were "Americanized", and the fact that someone doesn't like that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. With the whole festival atmosphere and X-Games vibe, it is certainly going for that "extreme" tone. Dirt 2 went from people talking about how "awesome" and "gnarly" things were, straight to a memorial segment on Colin McRae.

Now that Flatout has gone down the drain with the abysmal third entry in the series, this could really be an alternative to satisfy my Destruction-Derby-needs.

But please: no more Gymkhana... shit was stupid.

And I really hope Codemasters will make a more Rally-focussed game again some day, at least as focussed as Dirt 1 was ... with damage repair between stages, long stages , no "hip" X-games crap etc. And again: no more Gymkhana, please!

With the whole festival atmosphere and X-Games vibe, it is certainly going for that "extreme" tone. Dirt 2 went from people talking about how "awesome" and "gnarly" things were, straight to a memorial segment on Colin McRae.

I think this pretty much sums up the problem I have with Dirt as a whole, the change in style and tone from the previous McRae games was just so jarring. Also just to say that if people like Dirt, that's fine. It just isn't what I, and judging from the comments here, a fairly large section of the audience is looking for from a rally game. I just wish Codemasters would see that. As for dumb racing games like this one, Burnout fills that role for me. I don't know what they're doing slapping the Dirt brand on this game. It makes little sense.

Because Jeff/Ryan whoever is in them has to, to a point, suck up what they actually feel about the game because the developer is there and they won't show new games to Giantbomb/rival videogame websites if they don't say what the developer wants to hear. That's pretty much the reason Giantbomb was started in the first place, because even now Jeff is always complaining about the politics and implying about dirty things that other video game websites do, and he wanted to get away from that when he started Giantbomb, no? The mere existence of Quick Look EXs is bizarre on a website that seemingly prides and positions itself the way Giantbomb seems to do.

I am quite the fan of the DIRT games and have enjoyed each one but the first one was undoubtedly the best. Once again I have to lament along with all of the others that the real thorn in the side of this series has been the whole extreme x-games that has been focused on since the 2nd game. There are still fun tracks and they are still very enjoyable but it seems that what their fans really want are the point to point rally races which makes the games stand out instead of the usual crazy over the top modes. My hope is that with this game focusing solely on the x-games angle it will offer those developing DIRT 4 the ability to get back to its roots so that Codemasters could in effect try to make both sorts of players happy without watering down the experience of either

I am by no means a huge figure 8 racing follower but that track seems way too big. The round sections are supposed to slow you down and let people bunch up and then encourage people to risk gunning it through the relatively straight section where it crosses. Less of an actual 8 like they have and more of an oval with an X through it, making the turns much tighter. Filling the in-field up with crap so you cannot see where the other cars are is pretty lame too. There is strategy to it.

I am sick and tired of racing sims. They suck. They control like shit. They're not fun. If you want that experience, go drive a car. There need to be more arcadey racers, especially since Burnout is on hiatus. But fucking gamers keep ignoring amazing ones like Split/Second and Trackmania. I thought that Ridge Racer Unbounded was the only other arcadey racer coming out this year; I'm pleasantly surprised to see Codemasters bust out this DIRT spinoff. I just hope the controls are good and tight, and not heavy (secretly simmish), like Flatout or Need for Speed or something. Go full-on arcadey!

@Mitch0712 said:

This quicklook was 70% replay system. You have been warned.

Thanks for the warning. WTF, Giantbomb? Might as well have not even bothered with a Quick Look yet. This ...kinda sucked at showing off the game. Which is supposed to be point of QLs, right?

Why? I already have the first FlatOut, so I don't see any reason to get this.

This made me even more stoked for the new Carmageddon game, though. Because it shows that something resembling the phenomenal damage model in Carmageddon 2 is possible to pull off in a current-gen game.

8 cars is not nearly enough for a race. Didn't the old Destruction Derby games have more like 20? There's not enough mayhem in Dirt Showdown, Drew's race was solitary and boring. You gotta have a constant clusterfuck of cars to crash through. Come on, Codemasters!

Because Jeff/Ryan whoever is in them has to, to a point, suck up what they actually feel about the game because the developer is there and they won't show new games to Giantbomb/rival videogame websites if they don't say what the developer wants to hear. That's pretty much the reason Giantbomb was started in the first place, because even now Jeff is always complaining about the politics and implying about dirty things that other video game websites do, and he wanted to get away from that when he started Giantbomb, no? The mere existence of Quick Look EXs is bizarre on a website that seemingly prides and positions itself the way Giantbomb seems to do.

Then dont watch them? And if you're implying that GB is a sellout or takes money under the table for good reviews or GOTY awards then dont come to the site. Its either that or keep on complaining... though i think you'll choose the latter.

Because Jeff/Ryan whoever is in them has to, to a point, suck up what they actually feel about the game because the developer is there and they won't show new games to Giantbomb/rival videogame websites if they don't say what the developer wants to hear. That's pretty much the reason Giantbomb was started in the first place, because even now Jeff is always complaining about the politics and implying about dirty things that other video game websites do, and he wanted to get away from that when he started Giantbomb, no? The mere existence of Quick Look EXs is bizarre on a website that seemingly prides and positions itself the way Giantbomb seems to do.

Then dont watch them? And if you're implying that GB is a sellout or takes money under the table for good reviews or GOTY awards then dont come to the site. Its either that or keep on complaining... though i think you'll choose the latter.

Sorry, yeah I don't get what's to rail against here. They cover video games. Video game people want to come in and take the time to show stuff before stuff launches. The GB guys want to be pleasant hosts and of course you're not going to be a jerk to someone coming in or else no one would come in again. They seem to be up front about it and, really, can't the audience judge for itself what looks good or not? You're saying, essentially, that these are bad for people, like they'll sway the audience to being zombies from marketing and purchase a game they shouldn't. People are smarter than that, and I don't see how these are "dirty things" at all. I think it's great that devs are comfortable coming in and showing early code to these guys and us.

Because Jeff/Ryan whoever is in them has to, to a point, suck up what they actually feel about the game because the developer is there and they won't show new games to Giantbomb/rival videogame websites if they don't say what the developer wants to hear. That's pretty much the reason Giantbomb was started in the first place, because even now Jeff is always complaining about the politics and implying about dirty things that other video game websites do, and he wanted to get away from that when he started Giantbomb, no? The mere existence of Quick Look EXs is bizarre on a website that seemingly prides and positions itself the way Giantbomb seems to do.

Then dont watch them? And if you're implying that GB is a sellout or takes money under the table for good reviews or GOTY awards then dont come to the site. Its either that or keep on complaining... though i think you'll choose the latter.

Sorry, yeah I don't get what's to rail against here. They cover video games. Video game people want to come in and take the time to show stuff before stuff launches. The GB guys want to be pleasant hosts and of course you're not going to be a jerk to someone coming in or else no one would come in again. They seem to be up front about it and, really, can't the audience judge for itself what looks good or not? You're saying, essentially, that these are bad for people, like they'll sway the audience to being zombies from marketing and purchase a game they shouldn't. People are smarter than that, and I don't see how these are "dirty things" at all. I think it's great that devs are comfortable coming in and showing early code to these guys and us.

Oh well, it's the internet.

Let's first make it clear that I don't think any of that. I'm tired of Quick Look EXs because they have to incorporate someone from the production/development/marketing of a game, which invariably tarnishes the quality (with a few particular exceptions). Overall freedom to play and critique a game is limited in a QLEX. When someone with vested interest in the success of a game is involved in the showing, tone must be augmented while playing. What is provided by the EX is not something that I particularly care for, but I don't complain when GB supplements EXs with lots of other video content, however last week was disproportionally dominated by said videos.

Hopefully this game means they will focus Dirt 4 on straight up Rally, I didn't really care for the Rally-cross and arena based stuff in the other dirt games, and spent most my time avoiding it. Not that Dirt should be all Rally, but if they could split the two up to really improve both. That sounds great to me.

@JohnnyMcmillen: I like the improvements they made with Dirt 3, but Rally is my favourite and there are simply too few tracks. I don't care for the X Games stuff at all and I wish they would just put that stuff in a separate game such as this which I'm hoping they'll do.

@Blair well to be fair to this game's quick look ex you shouldn't criticize a game that is still bring made. Ex give viewers a look inside the development. I somewhat understand why people don't like quick look ex but at the same time I'm pretty sure that the GB guys don't mind developers coming in to talk about their games. I mean how often do we get to hear that. Also wasn't it just a few months ago when everyone was bitching about Jeff/Ryan being jaded as hell and didn't want to hear their opinions? I guess they can't please everyone.